Indian Civilization and Culture ( Lesson - 1 )

 

Indian Civilization and Culture (भारतीय सभ्यता एवं संस्कृति)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi(1869 – 1948), popularly known as Bapu or the father of nation, was more spiritual leader than politician. He successfully used truth and non - violence as the chief weapons against the British rule in India and helped India again Independence. from 1915 till 1948. he completely dominated Indian politics. He died at the hands of a fanatic on 30, January 1948. His autobiography “My Experiments with Truth “ and he numerous articles that he wrote for “Young India “ and the speeches that he delivered on different  occasions, reveal him not only as an original thinker but also a great Master of chest, idiomatic English. In the following extract “Indian civilization and culture” Gandhi ji talk about the sound foundation of Indian civilization which has successfully withstood the passage of time. The Western Civilization which has the tendency to privilege maternity cannot match the Indian civilization that elevates the moral being.

बापू अथवा राष्ट्रपति के नाम से विख्यात मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी( 1869 – 1948) एक राजनीतिक होने से ज्यादा एक आध्यात्मिक नेता थे। उन्होंने भारत में ब्रिटिश शासन के खिलाफ सत्र एवं अहिंसा को अपने प्रमुख शास्त्रों के रूप में सफलतापूर्वक प्रयोग किया तथा भारत को स्वतंत्र करने में मदद की। 1915 से 1948 तक वह भारतीय राजनीतिक में पूरी तरह से छाए रहे। 30 जनवरी 1948 को हुआ एक सनकी व्यक्ति के हाथों मारे गए।  उनकी “आत्मकथा माई एक्सपेरिमेंट्स विद ट्रुथ”  कई लेख जो उन्होंने “यंग इंडिया “ पत्र के लिए लिखे तथा वह भाषण जो उन्होंने विभिन्न अवसरों पर दिए, वे उन्हें एक वास्तविक विचारक के तौर पर ही नहीं अपितु आडंबर रहित एवं मुहावरेदार अंग्रेजी के बहुत बड़े विद्वान के तौर पर भी प्रकट करते हैं।  इस अंश “इंडियन सिविलाइजेशन एंड कल्चर” में गांधीजी भारतीय सभ्यता के सुदृढ़ बुनियादी के बारे में बताते हैं जोकि समय के साथ-साथ सफलतापूर्वक डटी हुई है। पश्चिमी सभ्यता जो की भौतिक स्वाधिकार की मानसिकता रखती है, भारतीय सभ्यता जो की नैतिकता पर बल देती है, से मेल नहीं खा सकती है।

Story

1. Passage :- I believe that the civilization India has evolved is not to be beaten the is not to be beaten in the world. Nothing can equal the seeds shown by our ancestors. Rome went, Greece shared the same fate, the might of the Pharaohs was broken, Japan has become westernized of China; China nothing can be said, but India is a still, somehow other, sound at the foundation.The people of Europe learn their lessons from the writings of the man of Greece of Rome which exist no longer in their former glory in trying to learn from them, The Europeans imagine that they will avoid the mistakes of Greece and Rome. such is the dear pitiable condition.

मै मानता हूँ की सभ्यता जो भारत ने विकसित की है , दुनिया मे मात नहीं दिया जा सकता है कोई ऐसी चीज नहीं है जो बराबरी कर सके, उन बीजों की जो हमारे पूर्वजों के द्वारा बोए गए है। रोम चल गया, ग्रीस का वही हस्र हुआ , फ़ायरों लोगों की शक्ति क्षीण हो गई, जापान पश्चिमी रंग मे ढाल गया। चीन के बारे मे कुछ कहाँ नहीं जा सकता है, लेकिन भारत आज भि किसी न किसी तरह से अपनी नीव पर खाद्य है । यूरोप के लोग सीखते है अपनी शिक्षा, ग्रीस और रोम के लेखों के द्वारा जो अब पूर्व गौरव मे जींद नहीं है। उनसे सीखने के इस प्रयास मे युरोपियन कल्पना करते है की वे ग्रीस और रोम के लोगों की पूर्व गलतियों से पाने आप को बचा लेंगे । ऐसे है, उनकी दुर्दशा।

2. Passage : - In the midst of all this, Indian remains immovable and that is her glory. It is a charge really against India that her peoples are so unsolved on civilized and astrologer that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any charge change it is your charge really against our merit what we have tested the form true on the annual of experience we there not change many trust there advice upon India and see remain study anchor of our home.

इन सही के बीच भारत अडिग रूप से कायम है जो इसका गौरव है । भारत के ऊपर इल्जाम लगाया जाता है की इसके लोग इतने असभ्य, अज्ञानी और भोंदू है की उन्हे किसी भि बदलाव के लिए राजी कर पान संभव ही नहीं है। यह हमारी प्रतिभा के ऊपर इल्जाम है। जो हमलोगों ने परखा है और खरा पाया है अनुभवों की कसौटी पर हमलोग उसे बदलने का साहस नहीं करते है। बहुत सारे लोग अपनी सलाह थोपते है भारत के ऊपर और यह स्थिर रूप से कायम है । यही इसकी खूबसूरती है । यही आशा की किरण है।

3. Passage : - Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty. Performance of duty and observance of morality are convertible terms. To observe morality is to attain mastery over our minds and our passions. So doing, we know ourselves. The Gujarati equivalent for civilization means “good conduct”.

सभ्यता आचरण की वह पद्धति है जो मनुष्य को कर्तव्य का मार्ग बताती है। कर्तव्य पालन और नैतिकता का पालन परिवर्तनीय शब्द हैं। नैतिकता का पालन करना अपने मन और अपनी भावनाओं पर नियंत्रण हासिल करना है। ऐसा करने से हम स्वयं को जानते हैं। सभ्यता के लिए गुजराती पर्याय का अर्थ है "अच्छा आचरण"।

4. Passage : – If this definition be correct, then India, as so many writers have shown, has nothing to learn from anybody else, and this is as it should be.

यदि यह परिभाषा सही है, तो भारत के पास, जैसा कि कई लेखकों ने दिखाया है, किसी और से सीखने के लिए कुछ नहीं है, और यह वैसा ही है जैसा होना चाहिए।

5.       Passage – We notice that the mind is a restless bird, the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. The more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become. Our ancestors, therefore, set a limit to our indulgences. They saw that happiness was largely a mental condition.

हम देखते हैं कि मन एक बेचैन पक्षी है, यह जितना अधिक चाहता है उतना ही प्राप्त करता है, और फिर भी असंतुष्ट रहता है। जितना अधिक हम अपने जुनून में लिप्त होते हैं, वे उतने ही बेलगाम होते जाते हैं। इसलिए, हमारे पूर्वजों ने हमारे भोग-विलास की एक सीमा तय कर दी। उन्होंने देखा कि खुशी काफी हद तक एक मानसिक स्थिति थी।

 

6.       Passage – A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy. Millions will always remain poor. Observing all this, our ancestors dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures. We have managed with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago. We have retained the same kind of cottages that we had in former times and our indigenous education remains the same as before. We have had no system of life-corroding competition. Each followed his own occupation or trade and charged a regular wage. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet. They saw that our real happiness and health consisted in a proper use of our hands and feet.

 

एक आदमी जरूरी नहीं है कि वह खुश है क्योंकि वह अमीर है, या दुखी है क्योंकि वह गरीब है। अक्सर अमीरों को दुखी और गरीबों को खुश देखा जाता है। लाखों लोग हमेशा गरीब रहेंगे. यह सब देखकर हमारे पूर्वजों ने हमें विलासिता और भोग-विलास से विमुख कर दिया। हमने उसी तरह के हल से काम चलाया है जो हजारों साल पहले था। हमने उसी तरह की झोपड़ियाँ बरकरार रखी हैं जो पहले हुआ करती थीं और हमारी स्वदेशी शिक्षा पहले जैसी ही बनी हुई है। हमारे यहां जीवन को नष्ट करने वाली प्रतिस्पर्धा की कोई व्यवस्था नहीं है। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति अपना व्यवसाय या व्यापार करता था और नियमित वेतन लेता था। ऐसा नहीं था कि हम मशीनरी का आविष्कार करना नहीं जानते थे, लेकिन हमारे पूर्वज यह जानते थे, अगर हम ऐसी चीजों में अपना दिल लगाते हैं। हम गुलाम बन जायेंगे और अपना नैतिक ढाँचा खो देंगे। इसलिए, उन्होंने काफी विचार-विमर्श के बाद निर्णय लिया कि हमें केवल वही करना चाहिए जो हम अपने हाथों और पैरों से कर सकते हैं। उन्होंने देखा कि हमारी वास्तविक खुशी और स्वास्थ्य हमारे हाथों और पैरों के उचित उपयोग में निहित है।

8.       Passage – They saw that kings and their swords were inferior to the sword of ethics, and they, therefore, held the sovereigns of the earth to be inferior to the Rishis and the Fakirs. A nation, with a constitution like this, is fitter to teach others than to learn from others. This nation had courts, lawyers and doctors, but they were all within bounds. Everybody knew that these professions were not particularly superior. Moreover, these Vakils and Vaids did not rob people; they were considered people’s dependents, not their masters. Justice was tolerably fair. The ordinary rule was to avoid courts. There were no touts to lure people into them. This evil too was noticeable only in and around capitals. The common people lived independently and followed their agricultural occupation. They enjoyed true Home Rule. 

उन्होंने देखा कि राजा और उनकी तलवारें नैतिकता की तलवार से कमतर थीं, और इसलिए, उन्होंने पृथ्वी के शासकों को ऋषियों और फकीरों से कमतर माना। इस तरह के संविधान वाला राष्ट्र दूसरों से सीखने की तुलना में दूसरों को सिखाने में अधिक सक्षम है। इस देश में अदालतें, वकील और डॉक्टर थे, लेकिन वे सभी सीमाओं के भीतर थे। सभी जानते थे कि ये पेशे कोई विशेष श्रेष्ठ नहीं हैं। इसके अलावा, ये वकील और वैद लोगों को नहीं लूटते थे; वे लोगों के आश्रित माने जाते थे, उनके स्वामी नहीं। न्याय सहनीय रूप से निष्पक्ष था. सामान्य नियम अदालतों से बचना था। लोगों को अपनी ओर आकर्षित करने के लिए कोई दलाल नहीं थे। यह बुराई भी केवल राजधानियों और उसके आस-पास ही दिखाई देती थी। आम लोग स्वतंत्र रूप से रहते थे और अपना कृषि व्यवसाय अपनाते थे। उन्होंने सच्चे होम रूल का आनंद लिया।

 

9.       Passage – The Indian civilization, as described by me, has been so described by its votaries. In no part of the world, and under no civilization, have all men attained perfection. The tendency of Indian civilizations is to elevate the moral being, that of the western civilization is to propagate immorality. The latter is godless; the former is based on a belief in God. So understanding and so believing, it behoves every lover of India to cling to the old Indian civilization even as a child clings to the mother’s breast. 

भारतीय सभ्यता का जैसा मैंने वर्णन किया है, उसके समर्थकों ने भी वैसा ही वर्णन किया है। दुनिया के किसी भी हिस्से में, और किसी भी सभ्यता के तहत, सभी लोगों ने पूर्णता प्राप्त नहीं की है। भारतीय सभ्यताओं की प्रवृत्ति नैतिक सत्ता को ऊपर उठाने की है, पश्चिमी सभ्यता की प्रवृत्ति अनैतिकता का प्रचार करने की है। उत्तरार्द्ध ईश्वरविहीन है; पहला ईश्वर में विश्वास पर आधारित है। इतनी समझ और इतना विश्वास, प्रत्येक भारत प्रेमी का यह कर्तव्य है कि वह पुरानी भारतीय सभ्यता से वैसे ही जुड़ा रहे जैसे एक बच्चा माँ की छाती से चिपका रहता है।

10.     Passage – I am no hater of the West. I am thankful to the West for many a thing I have learnt from Western literature. But I am thankful to modern civilization for teaching me that if I want India to rise to its fullest height, I must tell my countrymen frankly that, after years and years of experience of modern civilization, I have learnt one lesson from it and that is that we must shun it at all costs.

मुझे पश्चिम से कोई नफरत नहीं है. पश्चिमी साहित्य से मैंने जो कुछ भी सीखा है, उसके लिए मैं पश्चिम का आभारी हूं। लेकिन मैं आधुनिक सभ्यता का आभारी हूं कि उन्होंने मुझे यह सिखाया कि अगर मैं चाहता हूं कि भारत अपनी पूरी ऊंचाई तक पहुंचे, तो मुझे अपने देशवासियों को स्पष्ट रूप से बताना होगा कि, आधुनिक सभ्यता के वर्षों के अनुभव के बाद, मैंने इससे एक सबक सीखा है और वह है कि हमें इसे हर कीमत पर त्यागना होगा।

11.      Passage – What is that modern civilization? It is the worship of the material, it is the worship of the brute in us — it is unadulterated materialism, and modern civilization is nothing if it does not think at every step of the triumph of material civilization.

वह आधुनिक सभ्यता क्या है? यह भौतिक की पूजा है, यह हमारे अंदर मौजूद पाशविक की पूजा है - यह शुद्ध भौतिकवाद है, और आधुनिक सभ्यता कुछ भी नहीं है अगर वह भौतिक सभ्यता की विजय के बारे में हर कदम पर नहीं सोचती है।

12.     Passage – It is perhaps unnecessary, if not useless, to weigh the merits of the two civilizations. It is likely that the West has evolved a civilization suited to its climate and surroundings, and similarly, we have a civilization suited to our conditions, and both are good in their own respective spheres.

दोनों सभ्यताओं की खूबियों को तौलना बेकार नहीं तो शायद अनावश्यक है। यह संभव है कि पश्चिम ने अपनी जलवायु और परिवेश के अनुकूल एक सभ्यता विकसित की है, और इसी तरह, हमारे पास अपनी परिस्थितियों के अनुकूल एक सभ्यता है, और दोनों अपने-अपने क्षेत्र में अच्छे हैं।

13.     Passage – The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants. The characteristic of ancient civilization is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity. The restraint of ancient or Eastern civilization arises from a belief, often in spite of ourselves, in a future state and the existence of a Divine Power. 

आधुनिक सभ्यता की विशिष्ट विशेषता मानवीय आवश्यकताओं की अनिश्चित बहुलता है। प्राचीन सभ्यता की विशेषता इन आवश्यकताओं पर अनिवार्य प्रतिबंध और उनका सख्त विनियमन है। आधुनिक या पश्चिमी अतृप्ति वास्तव में भविष्य की स्थिति और इसलिए देवत्व में विश्वास की कमी से उत्पन्न होती है। प्राचीन या पूर्वी सभ्यता का संयम, अक्सर स्वयं के बावजूद, भविष्य की स्थिति और एक दैवीय शक्ति के अस्तित्व में विश्वास से उत्पन्न होता है।

14.     Passage – Some of the immediate and brilliant results of modern inventions are too maddening to resist. But I have no manner of doubt that the victory of man lies in that resistance. We are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure.

आधुनिक आविष्कारों के कुछ तात्कालिक और शानदार परिणाम इतने भयावह हैं कि उनका विरोध नहीं किया जा सकता। लेकिन मुझे इसमें कोई संदेह नहीं है कि मनुष्य की जीत उस प्रतिरोध में निहित है। हम क्षणिक सुख के लिए स्थायी वस्तु को बेचने के खतरे में हैं।

15.     Passage – Just as in the West they have made wonderful discoveries in things material, similarly Hinduism has made still more marvellous discoveries in things of religion, of the spirit, of the soul.

जैसे पश्चिम में उन्होंने भौतिक चीजों में अद्भुत खोजें की हैं, वैसे ही हिंदू धर्म ने धर्म, आत्मा, आत्मा की चीजों में और भी अधिक अद्भुत खोजें की हैं।

16.     Passage – But we have no eye for these great and fine discoveries. We are dazzled by the material progress that Western science has made. I am not enamoured of that progress. In fact, it almost seems as though God in His wisdom has prevented India from progressing along those lines, so that it might fulfil its special mission of resisting the onrush of materialism.

लेकिन इन महान और उत्कृष्ट खोजों पर हमारी कोई नजर नहीं है। पश्चिमी विज्ञान ने जो भौतिक प्रगति की है, उससे हम चकित हैं। मैं उस प्रगति पर मोहित नहीं हूं. वास्तव में, ऐसा लगभग प्रतीत होता है मानो ईश्वर ने अपनी बुद्धि से भारत को उस दिशा में आगे बढ़ने से रोका है, ताकि वह भौतिकवाद के आक्रमण का विरोध करने के अपने विशेष मिशन को पूरा कर सके।

17.     Passage – After all, there is something in Hinduism that has kept it alive up till now. It has witnessed the fall of Babylonian, Syrian, Persian and Egyptian civilizations. Cast a look around you. Where is Rome and where is Greece? Can you find today anywhere the Italy of Gibbon, or rather the ancient Rome, for Rome was Italy?

आख़िरकार, हिंदू धर्म में कुछ तो है जिसने इसे अब तक जीवित रखा है। इसने बेबीलोनियाई, सीरियाई, फ़ारसी और मिस्र की सभ्यताओं के पतन को देखा है। अपने चारों ओर एक नजर डालें. रोम कहाँ है और ग्रीस कहाँ है? क्या आप आज कहीं भी गिब्बन का इटली, या यों कहें कि प्राचीन रोम पा सकते हैं, क्योंकि रोम इटली था?

 

18.     Passage – Go to Greece. Where is the world-famous Attic civilization? Then coming to India, let one go through the most ancient records and then look around you and you would be constrained to say, “yes, I see here ancient India still living”. 

ग्रीस जाओ. विश्व प्रसिद्ध अटारी सभ्यता कहाँ है? फिर भारत में आकर, सबसे प्राचीन अभिलेखों को देखें और फिर अपने चारों ओर देखें और आप यह कहने के लिए बाध्य हो जाएंगे, "हां, मैं यहां प्राचीन भारत को अभी भी जीवित देखता हूं"।

19.     Passage – True, there were dungheaps, too, here and there, but there are rich treasures buried under them. And the reason why it has survived is that the end which Hinduism set before it was not development along material but spiritual lines. 

सच है, यहां-वहां गोबर के ढेर भी थे, लेकिन उनके नीचे समृद्ध खजाने दबे हुए हैं। और इसके जीवित रहने का कारण यह है कि हिंदू धर्म ने अपने सामने जो लक्ष्य रखा वह भौतिक नहीं बल्कि आध्यात्मिक आधार पर विकास था।

20.    Passage – Our civilization, our culture, our Swaraj depend not upon multiplying our wants —self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants – self denial. 

हमारी सभ्यता, हमारी संस्कृति, हमारा स्वराज हमारी चाहतों को बढ़ाने--आत्म-भोग-पर नहीं, बल्कि इच्छाओं को सीमित करने-आत्म-त्याग पर निर्भर करता है।

21.     Passage – European civilization is, no doubt, suited for the Europeans but it will mean ruin for India if we endeavour to copy it. This is not to say that we may not adopt and assimilate whatever may be good and capable of assimilation by us, as it does not also mean that even the Europeans will not have to part with whatever evil might have crept into it.

निस्संदेह, यूरोपीय सभ्यता यूरोपीय लोगों के लिए अनुकूल है, लेकिन अगर हम इसकी नकल करने का प्रयास करेंगे तो इसका मतलब भारत के लिए बर्बादी होगी। इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि जो कुछ भी अच्छा हो सकता है और हमारे द्वारा आत्मसात करने में सक्षम हो सकता है उसे हम अपना नहीं सकते हैं और आत्मसात नहीं कर सकते हैं, क्योंकि इसका मतलब यह भी नहीं है कि यूरोपीय लोगों को भी उसमें जो भी बुराई आ सकती है उसे छोड़ना नहीं होगा।

22.    Passage – The incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication is such an evil and I make bold to say that the Europeans themselves will have to remodel their outlook, if they are not to perish under the weight of the comforts to which they are becoming slaves. It may be that my reading is wrong, but I know that for India to run after the Golden Fleece is to court certain death. Let us engrave on our hearts the motto of a Western philosopher: “Plain living and high thinking”. Today it is certain that the millions cannot have high living and we the few, who profess to do the thinking for the masses, run the risk, in a vain search after high living, of missing high thinking.

भौतिक सुख-सुविधाओं की निरंतर खोज और उनकी वृद्धि एक ऐसी बुराई है और मैं यह कहने का साहस कर रहा हूं कि यूरोपीय लोगों को स्वयं अपने दृष्टिकोण को फिर से तैयार करना होगा, यदि उन्हें उन सुख-सुविधाओं के बोझ तले दबकर नष्ट नहीं होना है, जिनके वे गुलाम बन रहे हैं। हो सकता है कि मेरा पढ़ना गलत हो, लेकिन मैं जानता हूं कि भारत के लिए गोल्डन फ़्लीस के पीछे भागना निश्चित मृत्यु को स्वीकार करना है। आइए हम अपने दिलों पर एक पश्चिमी दार्शनिक के आदर्श वाक्य को अंकित करें: "सादा जीवन और उच्च विचार"। आज यह निश्चित है कि लाखों लोगों को उच्च जीवन नहीं मिल सकता है और हम कुछ लोग, जो जनता के लिए सोचने का दावा करते हैं, उच्च जीवन की व्यर्थ खोज में, उच्च विचार को खोने का जोखिम उठाते हैं।

23.    Passage – Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone increases and promotes contentment, real happiness and capacity for service.

सभ्यता, शब्द के वास्तविक अर्थ में, गुणा में नहीं, बल्कि इच्छाओं के जानबूझकर और स्वैच्छिक प्रतिबंध में शामिल है। यह अकेले ही संतुष्टि, वास्तविक खुशी और सेवा की क्षमता को बढ़ाता और बढ़ावा देता है।

24.    Passage – A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated. 

एक निश्चित स्तर तक शारीरिक सामंजस्य और आराम आवश्यक है लेकिन एक निश्चित स्तर से ऊपर यह मदद के बजाय बाधा बन जाता है। इसलिए, असीमित संख्या में आवश्यकताएँ पैदा करने और उन्हें संतुष्ट करने का आदर्श एक भ्रम और एक जाल प्रतीत होता है। किसी की भौतिक आवश्यकताओं की संतुष्टि, यहाँ तक कि किसी के संकीर्ण स्व की बौद्धिक ज़रूरतें भी, एक निश्चित बिंदु पर रुकनी चाहिए, इससे पहले कि यह शारीरिक और बौद्धिक कामुकता में बदल जाए। मनुष्य को अपनी भौतिक और सांस्कृतिक परिस्थितियों को व्यवस्थित करना चाहिए ताकि वे मानवता की सेवा में बाधा न बनें, जिस पर उसकी सारी ऊर्जा केंद्रित होनी चाहिए।

Indian Civilization and Culture Question and Answers

Answer the following questions orally

1.        What do you know about Gandhiji?( आप गांधीजी के बारे में क्या जानते हैं?)

Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Bapu or the Father of the Nation, was more a spiritual leader than a politician. He is known as the father of our nation. He led the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. He is globally known for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (Satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.

2.       What did Gandhi do for the farmers in Bihar? (2. गांधी जी ने बिहार में किसानों के लिए क्या किया?)

Gandhi came to Champaran in 1917. Here the farmers were forced to yield indigo on 15% of the land and had to surrender their entire yield as rent. Gandhi stood for the interest of the poor farmers but the administration ordered him to leave Champaran. He disobeyed their order and as a result, he was asked to appear in the court. When he appeared in court, the farmers surrounded the entire court in unison and demonstrated fearlessly. The officials failed to control the crowd and Gandhi was saved from being sentenced. The government conducted an inquiry into the case where Gandhi presented evidence of exploitation of the farmers. In the end, the decision was in the favor of the farmers. This was the first triumph of Civil Disobedience in modern India.

3.       What do you understand by civilization and culture? (3. सभ्यता एवं संस्कृति से आप क्या समझते हैं?)

Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty. The Gujarati equivalent for civilization means “good conduct”

The culture in its simplest form refers to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society

Culture exists so that it could be embodied in civilization. The process of civilization brings a place and people to a phase where they can be developed socially and culturally to realize a more advanced stage of human existence.

Hence, culture is what we are and civilization is what we have.

4.       What do our holy scriptures tell us about universal human values? (4. हमारे पवित्र ग्रंथ हमें सार्वभौमिक मानवीय मूल्यों के बारे में क्या बताते हैं?)

Our holy scriptures tell us the real meaning of life and existence. They explain to us how real accomplishment lies in spirituality and not materiality. They teach us self-control that makes us self-reliant

Answer the following questions briefly

1.        What, according to the author, is modern civilization?( 1. लेखक के अनुसार आधुनिक सभ्यता क्या है?)

According to the author, modern civilization is Godless. It is the worship of the material and the brute in us. It is unadulterated materialism, and modern civilization is nothing if it does not think at every step of the triumph of material civilization. The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants.

2.       What did the author convey to the countrymen about dealing with modern civilization?( आधुनिक सभ्यता से निपटने के बारे में लेखक ने देशवासियों को क्या संदेश दिया?)

 The author conveyed how thankful he is to modern civilization for teaching him that if he wants India to rise to its fullest height, he must tell his countrymen frankly that, after years and years of experience of modern civilization, he has learnt one lesson from it and that it must be shunned at all costs.

3.       What is the distinguished characteristic of modern civilization?( 3. आधुनिक सभ्यता की विशिष्ट विशेषता क्या है?)

The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants. The characteristic of ancient civilization, on the other hand, is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from the want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity.  The incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication is purely an evil.

4.       The author perceived danger from modern inventions. How? (4. लेखक को आधुनिक आविष्कारों से खतरा महसूस हुआ। कैसे?)

As per the author, some of the immediate and brilliant results of modern inventions are too maddening to resist. But he has no manner of doubt that the victory of man lies in that resistance and not in over-indulgence. He feels that we are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure arising out of the modern inventions.

5.       What does the author prefer to materialism?( 5. लेखक भौतिकवाद को क्या पसंद करता है?)

The author prefers spirituality over materialism. He feels there is no development above taking oneself on the spiritual path.

6.       What does our civilization depend upon?( 6. हमारी सभ्यता किस पर निर्भर करती है?)

Our civilization, our culture, our Swaraj depends not upon multiplying our wants with self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants with self denial.

7.       What is civilization in the real sense of the term? (7. सभ्यता शब्द के वास्तविक अर्थ में क्या है?)

Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone increases and promotes contentment, real happiness and capacity for service

Answer the following questions briefly

1) How is Indian civilization different from European civilization?( भारतीय सभ्यता यूरोपीय सभ्यता से किस प्रकार भिन्न है?)

The people of Europe learnt their lessons from the writings of the men of Greece or Rome. In trying to learn from them, the Europeans imagined that they would avoid the mistakes of Greece and Rome. Such is their pitiable condition. On the other hand, Indian civilization is based on the strong foundation of seeds sown by its ancestors. Based on the Gujarati equivalent for civilization, which means “good conduct”, India has nothing to learn from anybody else. This is because our ancestors have tested and found this true on the anvil of experience.

2) Why does Gandhi say that ‘mind is a restless bird’? What makes the mind restless?( गाँधी जी क्यों कहते हैं कि 'मन एक बेचैन पक्षी है'? मन अशांत क्यों रहता है?)

Gandhi calls the mind “a restless bird” because the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. By saying this, he further meant that the more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become.

3) Why did our ancestors dissuade us from luxuries and pleasures? Did they do the right thing?( 3) हमारे पूर्वजों ने हमें विलासिता और भोग-विलास से क्यों विमुख किया? क्या उन्होंने सही काम किया?)

Our ancestors saw that the more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become. Therefore, they set a limit to our indulgences as they saw that happiness was largely a mental condition. Hence, they dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures.

Yes, they were right in doing so because being rich does not guarantee happiness. In fact, the poor are seen to be happier.

4) Why, according to Gandhi, have we stuck with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago? Should we do the same thing even today?( गांधीजी के अनुसार, हम उसी प्रकार के हल से क्यों चिपक गए हैं जो हजारों साल पहले था? क्या आज भी हमें वैसा ही करना चाहिए?)

According to Gandhi, we used the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago because our ancestors saw that our real happiness and health consisted in proper use of our hands and feet. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet. 

In my opinion, usage of plough widely even today would not guarantee agricultural produce enough to cater the entire population of our country. Hence, we should not do the same thing today.

5) How did our ancestors view large cities? Why were they satisfied with small villages?( हमारे पूर्वज बड़े शहरों को कैसे देखते थे? वे छोटे गाँवों से संतुष्ट क्यों थे?

Our ancestors viewed large cities as a snare and a useless encumbrance. They knew that people would not be happy in them as there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice, where rich rob the poor. Hence, they were satisfied with small villages.

6) How did our ancestors enjoy true ‘Home Rule’? (हमारे पूर्वजों ने सच्चे 'होम रूल' का आनंद कैसे उठाया?)

India is self-sufficient in terms of courts, lawyers and doctors. Here, all professions are regarded highly and equally. Unlike other nations, in India, lawyers and doctors do not befool people to steal from them – they are highly reliable and do not act superior. Here, we value fair play and focus on solving matters outside courts instead of having tricksters lure them into court. Even if there were any ill-practices, they only happened in and around the capital cities. Apart from that, the rest of the population lived freely while undertaking agricultural activities and enjoying Home Rule.

Long Answer Questions

1.        ‘I BELIEVE that the civilization India has evolved is not to be beaten in the world.’ What does Gandhi mean by this statement? Do you subscribe to his views?( 1. 'मेरा मानना है कि भारत ने जो सभ्यता विकसित की है, उसे दुनिया में हराया नहीं जा सकता।' इस कथन से गांधीजी का क्या तात्पर्य है? क्या आप उनके विचारों से सहमत हैं?)

Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi said, “I believe that the civilization India has evolved is not to be beaten in the world”. By saying this, he meant that nothing can equal the seeds sown by our ancestors. He is proud of the sound foundation of Indian Civilization which has successfully withstood the passage of time. The western civilization which has the tendency to privilege materiality cannot match the Indian civilization that elevates the moral being.

India remains immovable and that is her glory. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. What we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady. This is her beauty; it is the sheet anchor of our hope. 

However, Indian civilization is also flexible and we can integrate some of the good aspects of European civilization that we are capable of inhibiting for the benefit of our civilization. 

2.       ‘We notice that the mind is a restless bird, the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied.’ Pick out other metaphors used in the lesson. How do these metaphors help Gandhiji in persuading the readers?( 2. 'हमने देखा है कि मन एक बेचैन पक्षी है, यह जितना अधिक पाता है उतना अधिक चाहता है, और फिर भी असंतुष्ट रहता है।' पाठ में प्रयुक्त अन्य रूपकों को चुनें। ये रूपक पाठकों को समझाने में गांधी जी की किस प्रकार सहायता करते हैं?)

Gandhi has used the power of metaphors in his writing beautifully, to convince the readers. It has not only made the readers understand his idea better but also persuaded them to keep our ancestral morals alive. 

He feels that the Western civilization revolves around continuously chasing materialism and physical comfort. Hence, he has compared the mind to “a restless bird” that is never satisfied no matter how much it gets. Thus, he wants the reader to have voluntary resistance and self-control to refrain them from overindulgence in the worldly pleasures. 

Another example of a metaphor well-used is when he states that “what we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change”.  Here, he compares the foundation of Indian civilization to be as strong as the block of metal being hammered by the blacksmith. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady.

He has also called India’s ability to stand firm “the sheet anchor of our hope” . Just like a large ship remains steady with its sheet anchor amidst a sea storm, India also remains immovable and that is her glory.

He further reasoned that large cities were a “snare”. Just like a snare is a trap for catching birds or mammals, big cities are a useless encumbrance that would not let people be happy in them as there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men would be robbed by rich men.

3.       ‘A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy.’ What, according to Gandhi, holds key to real happiness? How does Gandhi define ‘happiness’?( 3. 'एक आदमी जरूरी नहीं है कि वह खुश है क्योंकि वह अमीर है, या दुखी है क्योंकि वह गरीब है। अमीरों को अक्सर दुखी देखा जाता है, गरीबों को खुश।' गांधी के अनुसार, वास्तविक खुशी की कुंजी क्या है? गांधीजी 'खुशी' को कैसे परिभाषित करते हैं?

“A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy.”

Millions will always remain poor. Observing all this, our ancestors dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures. We have managed with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago. We have retained the same kind of cottages that we had in former times and our indigenous education remains the same as before. We have had no system of life-corroding competition. Each followed his own occupation or trade and charged a regular wage. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet. They saw that our real happiness and health consisted in a proper use of our hands and feet.

4.       Why did our ancestors feel satisfied with small villages? Did they do the right thing? Will it be wise today to follow our ancestors in this connection? Give your own view.

Our ancestors felt that large cities are a snare and a useless encumbrance and that people would not be happy in them, that there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men would be robbed by rich men. They were, therefore, satisfied with small villages.

They were right in doing so but even if we want to follow the ancient civilization, India today is moving towards capitalism and development which is forcing people to move out of small villages and migrate to big cities in order to earn a living. The Western philosophy of “Plain living and high thinking” is hard to live by. Today it is certain that millions cannot have a high living. With the rapidly increasing population and the competition, traditional occupations are not feasible, making it difficult to follow the ways that our ancestors used to swear by.

5.       Discuss the negative features of western civilization.( 5. पश्चिमी सभ्यता की नकारात्मक विशेषताओं की चर्चा करें।)

The western civilization propagates immorality. It is godless. It is the worship of the material and the brute in us — it is unadulterated materialism. Large cities are a snare and a useless encumbrance and that people can not be happy in them, as there are gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men are robbed by rich men. Western civilization promotes incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication which is such an evil as it is putting the nations under the weight of the comforts to which they are becoming slaves.  

The ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated. 

6.       What is the essential difference between the Indian civilization and the Western civilization? How is our civilization superior to the Western civilization?( 6. भारतीय सभ्यता और पश्चिमी सभ्यता के बीच मूलभूत अंतर क्या है? हमारी सभ्यता पश्चिमी सभ्यता से कैसे श्रेष्ठ है?

The essential difference between Indian and Western civilization is the indefinite multiplicity of human wants in the West. The characteristic of ancient civilization is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from the want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity. The restraint of ancient or Eastern civilization arises from a belief, often in spite of ourselves, in a future state and the existence of a Divine Power.

Indian civilization has nothing to learn, but to teach a lot to the modern civilization. It is based on the belief in God which is understanding and so believing that it behoves every lover of India to cling to the old Indian civilization even as a child clings to the mother’s breast. Our civilization does not depend upon multiplying our wants with self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants with self denial. The sound foundation of Indian Civilization has successfully withstood the passage of time. The western civilization which has the tendency to privilege materiality which cannot match the Indian civilization that elevates the moral being.

7.       A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help.’ Elaborate. (7. एक निश्चित स्तर तक शारीरिक सामंजस्य और आराम आवश्यक है लेकिन एक निश्चित स्तर से ऊपर यह मदद के बजाय बाधा बन जाता है।' विस्तार से बताएं

It is true that a certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. Hence, humans shall only indulge in these worldly pleasures to an extent where it does not disturbs its actual motive which is, service of humanity.